Narcolepsy: Comorbidities, complexities and future directions

Patients with narcolepsy live with a lifelong sleep-wake disorder, impairing their quality of life, productivity, educational and employment outcomes. Clinicians are becoming aware that a significant aspect of the burden of this disease relates to frequent comorbid conditions, including aspects of the patient's emotional, metabolic, sleep and immune health. This review explores the literature describing the comorbidities seen in patients with narcolepsy, to enhance understanding of these often complex presentations. It hopes to encourage a multidisciplinary approach, to collaborate with patients and a broad clinical team, and to maximise clinical and quality of life outcomes, for those living with narcolepsy.(c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Patients with narcolepsy often experience comorbidities related to emotional, metabolic, sleep, and immune health, which significantly impact their quality of life and clinical outcomes. This review aims to enhance understanding of the complex presentations by exploring the literature on comorbidities in narcolepsy patients and encourages a multidisciplinary approach to improve clinical and quality of life outcomes.